Historyis sometimes labeled as boring, reminding people of school days spent memorizing endless dates and reading through textbooks. But what if it could be genuinely exciting?There’s an Instagram account called‘How History Looks’that proves it can. With over 1 million followers, this page shares fascinating photos and intriguing facts from the past. Curious to see what George Washington’s teeth looked like, what you could order from an old McDonald’s menu, or how students lived in an early 20th-century dorm? Look no further: these pics and more are waiting for you below.This post may includeaffiliate links.
Historyis sometimes labeled as boring, reminding people of school days spent memorizing endless dates and reading through textbooks. But what if it could be genuinely exciting?
There’s an Instagram account called‘How History Looks’that proves it can. With over 1 million followers, this page shares fascinating photos and intriguing facts from the past. Curious to see what George Washington’s teeth looked like, what you could order from an old McDonald’s menu, or how students lived in an early 20th-century dorm? Look no further: these pics and more are waiting for you below.
This post may includeaffiliate links.
If history can indeed be interesting, why is it not commonly treated as such? Experts believe the issue lies in how it’s taught—mainly throughtextbooks. In his bookLies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, sociologist and historian James W. Loewen explains why they fail to capture our imagination:“The stories that history textbooks tell are all predictable; every problem has already been solved or is about to be solved,” he writes. “Textbooks exclude conflict or real suspense. They leave out anything that might reflect badly upon our national character. When they try for drama, they achieve only melodrama, because readers know that everything will turn out fine in the end.”
If history can indeed be interesting, why is it not commonly treated as such? Experts believe the issue lies in how it’s taught—mainly throughtextbooks. In his bookLies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, sociologist and historian James W. Loewen explains why they fail to capture our imagination:
“The stories that history textbooks tell are all predictable; every problem has already been solved or is about to be solved,” he writes. “Textbooks exclude conflict or real suspense. They leave out anything that might reflect badly upon our national character. When they try for drama, they achieve only melodrama, because readers know that everything will turn out fine in the end.”
Studying it this way meets a certain need—“a need that should not exist”—to simply absorb information in order to pass standardized tests. “It is the need for teachers who are not, first and foremost, teachers of history or social studies,” Loewensays.
David Cutler, a teacher of history and journalism at Brimmer and May in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, calls textbooks intimidating. They’re typically massive, around 1,000 pages long. “With so much dense, mind-numbing text, too many students give up trying to understand what’s really important,” hesays.
“None of the facts is remembered, because they are presented simply as one damn thing after another,” Loewen notes. He drives the point with a simple metaphor, “While textbook authors tend to include most of the trees and all too many twigs, they neglect to give readers even a glimpse of what they might find memorable: theforests”.
History truly comes alive when it feels tangible and allows you to make your own conclusions instead of blindly following someone else’s retelling of events. Photos, records, speeches, songs, even old newspapers,diaries, and letters—these are all ways to connect with the past in a personal and thought-provoking way.
Kyle Blackmer, a humanities teacher at The Heights School,showshow just a few photos can turn history into an immersive experience. For example, when teaching about theAmerican Civil War, he lines up portraits of generals and asks students to describe their personalities based on their appearance.
Truth is, it’s natural for humans to be curious about the past. We have an innate drive to explore what came before us, something that 16th century British antiquarian William Camdendescribedas a “back-looking curiositie”. Psychologists refer to this asepistemic curiosity—a thirst for knowledge that motivates us to discover new ideas and learn.
The desire to learn and stay informed about the past is strong; it just needs the right motivation. And we hope these posts offered a glimpse into a more exciting way to explore history. So, ditch the textbooks and embrace your curiosity!
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U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Hart H. Spiegal tries to communicate with two very young Japanese soldiers captured during the Battle of Okinawa, June 17, 1945.
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